Art Show At The Dog Show/Blizzard

For the past few days, I have been preparing for The Art Show At The Dog Show, which is a huge show for my art career. My work must be in Kansas by February 23rd, at the absolute latest for judging purposes. At the time of my acceptance, my work was unframed and I needed to have my pieces framed and shipped within the next week. My husband decided to help me frame my work myself, since it was economical and we could probably work faster than the local frame shops.

Last night, we finally finished framing. We did a good job, in my opinion. I've posted the framed pieces above. The pictures aren't the greatest, but they give you a general idea.

After framing, I was faced with a new obstacle... shipping. Normally, this wouldn't be a problem. In fact, the UPS Store is practically in my back yard. I can walk through a path in my yard and I am there. Except... I woke to a blizzard...

A blizzard! It's not that bad by CNY standards. In fact, we are supposed to get 1-2 more feet of snow today. The snow is so deep in my yard that I can't walk through it with my artwork. My husband offered to drive me around the corner to the UPS before he left for work (we share a car). So, we bundled up and drove around the corner. The store was closed. Apparently, the employees thought there is too much snow and decided not to come to work.

So, I am going to head back to UPS via car this evening. Hopefully, the roads will be clear enough for travel. My brave husband actually went to work today, even though blizzard conditions are being forcasted. He actually likes the snow. I, on the other hand, will be shaking with worry in our home, hoping that my work will make it to Kansas for the show. I'm sure I will be fine, but I am one of those people who does everything early. I hate being late and am a bit of a control freak. Perhaps, my lesson on this earth is patience. This situation is a fine test.

Springer Spaniels

The piece above is my latest commission. These gorgeous springer spaniels are named Leah and Cashmere. Both dogs were bred by Corrado English Springer Spaniels. I love how the composition shows the loving connection between mother and pup.

I'm In The Art Show At The Dog Show!

I just received a letter from the AKC's Art Show At The Dog Show and all four of my entries into the show were accepted. The Art Show At The Dog Show is the organization's national dog art competition. Each year, the show features the country's top dog artists. This is my first year entering and I am overjoyed that all of my entries were accepted! Now, I have to scramble to frame my work and ship it within the next week. Once hanging, all accepted works are judged in a number of categories for prizes. The Best In Show piece is purchased by the AKC and hung in the AKC's Museum of the Dog.

By the way, the piece above is not hanging in the show. It's my latest pastel drawing of my very special mixed breed dog, Sasha. She loves to gaze out the window, looking for my husband to return from work. This piece is documented proof of her daily window-gazing ritual. Once I finish typing, I will join her at the window. I can't wait to give my husband a hug in celebration!

Husband and Wife

The portrait above was taken on my own wedding day. This was the exact moment when we were pronounced husband and wife and shared our first kiss. I created this piece to lift my husband's day while he was at work. Now, I just need to come up with an even greater surprise for Valentine's Day!

I'm in the Alumni Newpaper!

I was flipping through my college's alumni newspaper yesterday and found my own name in the alumni updates section! For those of you who do not know me outside of this blog, I attended Syracuse University's College of Visual and Performing Arts and graduated with a BFA in Illustration in 2001. I had submitted news of my portrait business and exhibitions to display on my online profile and it ended up being published! The paper is viewed by students, faculty, and alumni. What a wonderful way to spread the word about my work!

Illustration Friday - Red

This week's Illustration Friday topic is "Red". Immediately, I thought of drawing a cat with a bold, red background. The cat pictured is Molly, a calm, sweet girl. On most afternoons, she prefers to curl up among the red blankets on my bed. The walls happen to be a muted red as well. I love the contrast between her black and white coat and the bold walls in the background. Comments and critiques are welcome!

Golden Illustrations... The Movie!

I'm always looking for new and exciting ways to display my artwork. With the popularity of Youtube, I thought it would be cool to post a slideshow movie of my work for the world to see. I uploaded my pictures to iphoto on my Mac and made a slideshow set to music. iphoto is great. You can customize the transition between images with neat animations and even add a Ken Burns film effect. The result of my efforts is posted above. The only complaint that I have is that the images are a bit blurry, due to the low quality that the file was saved at. Other than that, I feel excited to share my artwork, set to music!

Take The Leap

I decided that it was time for more wildlife portraits. It's been a while since I have drawn a wild animal and was missing the task of rendering warm, fuzzy critters. I fed this urge by drawing a cold-blooded critter (a snake). Now, I have progressed to drawing a creature that doesn't send me into the fetal position in fear - the penguin.

The reference for this piece was taken at the zoo on a sunny afternoon. I was almost trampled by a mob of children, eager to see the penguins splashing around in their simulated environment. This particular penguin seemed unsure of whether he wanted to jump into the water. Kind of a metaphor for where I am at in life. I am scared of taking the leap and sending my work to art directors.

I think that my biggest fear is that they will look at me as a fine artist. Not a bad thing, but I am wondering whether my work is marketable to big companies and publishers. I want to take the leap and get my work out there. In the meantime, I am researching publishers and am building promotional materials. If the penguin can jump in the cold zoo water, then I can be brave and jump into the world of publishing.

Snake!!!

Fear of snakes is my biggest phobia. In fact, my fear is so serious that I will hyperventilate at the sight of a garter snake in my yard. This drawing was a step toward facing my fear. I took the reference photo at a reptile exihibit at a zoo. Of course, the snake was behind glass and could not harm me.

However, drawing this creature took stamina. I had to pay detailed attention to its scales and shiny skin. Still, I cannot tell whether it is placidly taking a nap or hunting a rodent. Regardless, the picture gives me chills.

Now that the project is complete, I can say that I am still afraid of snakes. However, I am proud that I took a step to face my fear and express the shadows of fear in my piece.

Self-Portrait

There comes a time where an artist ponders whether to do a promotional self-portrait. A self-portrait shows who you are, in your style. During a recent slow-period, I thought that the time had arrived to attempt a self-portrait.

My last self-portrait attempt occurred in college, in the Syracuse University illustration program. We were to complete a self-portrait in black and white. I drew myself in pen and ink. I was holding a flashlight up to my face in a creepy way. I wanted to play with light and illuminate my face from below. I thought that my piece rocked. In critique, one professor told me that my fingers looked like male appendages. Only, he didn't say "male appendages". He was much more frank.

So... Scarred from my previous attempt, I move forward. Again, I wanted to play with light and reflection. Except, this time I wanted to use bright colors. And I made sure to hide my hands. Didn't want them to resemble "male appendages".

Illustration Friday - Super Hero

The drawing above is of my grandfather, my superhero. He served in World War II, battled cancer for two decades, and taught me how to draw. He also taught me how to stand up to bullies and to respect myself. This picture will never be good enough in my mind. I wish a reference could show how amazing this man really was. Then again, he would have smiled and told me it is great if he were alive.

Illustration Friday - The 80's

This week's Illustration Friday topic is the 80's. To me, nothing screams "the 80's" more than mullets and Full House. So... I have loosely rendered John Stamos in pastels. I tried to use the bright colors that were "so popular" in the 80's. I think I had leggings the color of the background. Comments, critiques, and rotten tomato throwing are welcome...

Distinguished Cat

The image above was a fun project that I completed in between commissions. A few months ago, my aunt made a trip to visit a friend in Canada. While she was there, she snapped a few photos of her friend's cat. The cat happened to be napping on a beautiful tapestry chair and looked rather distinguished. I came across these photos in my downtime and felt that they would translate well into a colorful drawing. I love the positioning of the cat in the composition. It's almost as if it wanted to wake up and reach to get attention, but was far too comfortable to be bothered.

Sophisticated Kitty

The picture above was a holiday gift to friends. I loved the original photo that this drawing is based on. The light hit the kitten just right through the window, creating dramatic shadows and highlights. For this reason, I thought that this picture would translate beautifully into a black and white drawing.

Children With Puppies, Is Anything Cuter?

The picture above was the final commission that I completed before the Christmas holiday. I needed to combine three compositions into an 11x14" image area. I combined the reference photos in Adobe Photoshop and drew the picture in pastel pencil. I love how the light reflects off of the children and puppies. Although the background is simplified, it seems that the subjects are drenched in sunlight. All in all, it's a bright, cheery picture. A welcome change from the grey weather in central New York!

Kids Love Mickey : )

The picture above was a fun holiday commission. The reference photo was taken at a Disney park with the fabulous... Mickey Mouse! I was very excited when I received this commission request, because I had just returned from Disneyworld at the time. I had taken several pictures of Mickey posing with random park-goers, because I was too lazy to wait in line for my own pic. Plus, I like taking pictures more than appearing in them...

Dutchess

The piece above is a special one. It is a conte crayon drawing of a rottweiler. For those of you who don't know what conte crayons are... They are a sepia-toned drawing pencil that creates the look of an old-fashioned photo.

Here is the story behind this drawing... Several weeks before Christmas, I received a call from a client that found me on Google. She was getting married shortly after Christmas and wanted to give a pet portrait to her new husband as a wedding gift. I could not say no to this project! I squeezed this commission in, even though I had a large backlog to finish before Christmas. I remember how difficult it was to come up with a creative wedding gift for my own husband. I think that she had a unique idea and really hoped that her husband loved the piece. I am flattered that she chose me to create this milestone gift...

Three Brittanies

The piece above was a Christmas commission, featuring three purebred Brittany Spaniels. Putting the composition together was a challenge, because I wanted each dog to stand out with their own personality.

Lucas

The picture above was my second holiday commission. The smiling boy in the picture is Lucas, a friend of my husband's family.

German Shepard

The picture above was my first Christmas portrait commission. It's a black and white portrait of an adorable German Shepard. Enjoy!